Fútbolita

What a great day for Neymar! It was his debut for the selecao, and he delivered as promised to the people of Brasil! Hedgehog hairdo scored in a fitting 2-0 victory against the United States. E claro, the other goal was courtesy of Pato whom many of you have missed watching for Brasil. E hora de comemora because it’s a new squad, and we definitely like the style that was on display last night. Fast, free, flowing football that was demonstrated by three attackers – Ganso, Robinho and Neymar – who are Santos’ bros!

In addition, it was also a great start for Manoooo, whom we all know will be facing pressure in the lead up to 2014. He’s already declared that his priority is to make Brasil a more offensive team, which means we won’t be seeing much of Dopey’s ultra-defensive techniques and more exciting stuff from all these caras. And as for Neymar, he knows he’s got it… just take a look at his pose below. Work it!

“The performance was the result of the technical quality of the players. It was facilitated by the (fielding) of three players who work together at Santos. What we did in the two training sessions, mainly on Sunday, was to give a tactical organization, in terms of positioning, which enabled the technical quality to excel,” said Mano after the game.

Parabéns meninos!

via Terra, Gettyimages

Welcome to day 2 of Mano’s Seleção Bootcamp in New Jersey! The image above exudes so much ego that you can even smell Jersey Shore’s resident douche The Situation from ten miles away. Andre (right far end) is dying to know about Pato’s divorce pension but tipo ain’t saying anything for now. Seriously guys, quit the gossip…. concentrar-se na formação!

Anyway, the schedule remained the same yesterday, with some running drills, ball exercises and press calls. No word yet on who’s bunking with who, but you can be assured that Neymar, Ganso and Andre are living the Bro Life and watch episodes of Glee while feasting on popcorn. And since they’re in Jersey Shore, the bell boy probably kept his eyes open for some Snookin’.

As for Curly Fries da Silva, he miraculously recovered from food poisoning and took a later flight to join the squad! Look, he even offered autographs at the hotel lobby. Rafael had better have taken his Futbolita shirt along with him in his luggage. Cos’ that’s the way we roll, OK?

The friendly against the United States will be tomorrow, and our amigas in Brazil tell us that they will not be telecasting the game. Gasp! That’s despicable. This sounds like a job for the CQC crew!

via Terra Brasil, R.Ribeiro

BEM-VINDO to the Selecao Bootcamp, and as we always say, it’s a “tradition of Futbolita’s!” The guys have arrived in Jersey Shore (fist pump!) to train for the friendly against the United States scheduled for tomorrow. Mano Menezes wasted no time and made sure everyone HEARD what he had to say, which obviously meant no late nights and focus, focus, focus!

As always, manos divided themselves into two groups and got to work immediately. This time, there was no gym conditioning (oh damn) and everybody took to the field. Victor, Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, André Santos, Lucas, Ramires, Ganso and Robinho were in the grey shirts while Henrique, Rever, Marcelo, Ederson,  Neymar, André and Tardelli played with orange vests. And for those of you who were wondering about Rafael Fetus Da Silva, he’s now recovering from food poisoning, so he was unable to answer the call-up.  Que pena!

Anyway, here’s David Luiz getting all brotherly with the trio of Neymar, André and Ganso. They’re all the faces of 2014, so he’d better pick his side soon before it gets too late!

Fotos de R.Ribeiro

Ok, forgive us for the lack of a creative title, but like Neymar, we’re kind of surprised at Manoooo Menezes’ 24-man squad for the USA friendly on August 10th. With so many new faces for Seleção Bootcamp, everyone needs to attend Orientation Camp ASAP!  Meninos like Rafael Curly Fries da Silva, Ganso, Pato and (drumroll) Hernanes, also finally received their call-ups after waiting on it forever. This is not to say that all of them deserved it (Lucas??), but it’s a nice technique to soothe the Brazilian public who can’t shut the image of defeat from their minds.

Rafaelito knows it, and he will be throwing a bitchface – like the one below – if you do not agree that he deserved the call-up. Seriously, enough of PS3 and barbecuing in Manchester… it’s time for the real deal. Hopefully, Fabio isn’t jealous because sibling rivalry is hilarious!

FULL SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Victor (Gremio), Renan (Avai), Jefferson (Botafogo)

Defenders: Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Rafael (Manchester United), Andre Santos (Fenerbahce), Marcelo (Real Madrid), David Luiz (Benfica), Henrique (Racing), Rever (Atletico-MG), Thiago Silva (Milan)

Midfielders: Sandro (Internacional), Ramires (Benfica), Lucas (Liverpool), Jucilei (Corinthians), Ganso (Santos), Ederson (Lyon), Hernanes (Sao Paulo), Carlos Eduardo (Hoffenheim)

Forwards: Robinho (Santos), Diego Tardelli (Atletico-MG), Alexandre Pato (Milan), Andre (Santos), Neymar (Santos)

Photos via Gettyimages/Reuters

From the looks of it, all Detinho (next to Ronaldo) wants is a FREE PASS to Mano Menezes‘ next seleção bootcamp! That expression on his face says it all. You could dial an ambulance and you still won’t be able to incept the Menezes/Detinho mind game because dude is dying to go to Granja Comary ASAP. They have a secret pact which does not include Roberto Carlos, infelizmente.

The point of this is to put our hands together, stand in a circle and say “Bem-vindo!!!” to the former Corinthians coach who will needing some of Dopey’s sleeping pills now as the official Brazilian national team coach! E ai MANO?!

Take a good look at the man whose first job is to say “Felipe Melo Who?”

Photos via Mauricio Lima/AFP

What’s with the reports about Dunga (that’s his daughter, btw, and this is his wife) being ‘sacked’ by the Brazilian futebol federation? Estúpidos! Everybody already knew of his intention to step down as coach during the qualifiers! And obviously, he was going to leave his post regardless of the result. There’s so much ego & merda going on now that some of it needs to be taken care of by Gattuso’s fish restaurant. An escargot would be ideal…

Anyway, HERE’S Dunga’s resignation letter – full of formality and… err, Dunganess. He will be missed! Please bring back Felipão or someone less intimidating – and more huggable – in 2014, so I can make that ‘flight joke’ again and not get stared down.

There’s not many things that can sum up Brazil’s disappointing defeat to The Netherlands, but this piece of brilliant writing, in my opinion reaches out to all the followers of the Selecao. It is by Marcelo Barreto, a Globo journalist.

Dear Boy,

I saw you crying in the stands of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and it was the first image that caught my eye after Brazil’s defeat yesterday. I do not know if you were consoled, but you were not the first. Your crying made me remember a famous cover of the Evening Journal in 1982. Long ago, when Brazil lost, I was little and I was very sad. This memory made me want to write in his name to the Brazilian children .

You’re too young, and four years still seems a long time. But trust me, four years, passes quickly. In the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, you can return to a stadium to see the selecao, close to home , perhaps with your relatives and friends. It’ll be nice .

You are also too young to understand one important thing that many adults do not understand yet: You can not win them all. The world is very large and there are many good balls outside Brazil. Being Brazilian already gives us the privilege of seeing our team be champions more times than any other. Imagine what it means to a child in Holland …

You are also too small to know that football is much more than what we see on the field. Lucky you! Growing up has its benefits but also makes you learn, through the hard way that those guys in your sticker album are people of flesh and blood , with virtues and defects , who hit and miss at times …

The Brazilians, who missed today were once children like you . They dreamed of the World Cup and came close to it. I do not know if you’re angry with Dunga, Felipe Melo, or just sad and think that football is unfair, as I was in 1982. You may still be too young to think about it too, but it’s not about justice.

It took 12 years after that day for me to see the Brazil as champions . Who knows, you can expect that in four years and in Brazil? A Portuguese writer once said: “what is good about defeat is that it is not eternal.”

Soon, I will deal with more adult things , talk of the defeat today on the television and write a post with the numbers game. But I wanted to let you know that we will not let this defeat be eternal.

2014 !

NILMAR HONORATO DA SILVA

Yes, it’s the day of the Brazil-Holland “do or die” match and we’ve promptly lined-up our exclusive interview with Brazilian striking ‘fofo‘ NILMAR. Many of you will be excited to note that he has joined David Villa in the ‘Futbolita lovin’ bandwagon, and yes, he really is one of the nicest ‘manos’ out there, in case you were wondering. The Villarreal striker is also expecting a son next month and spoke about his aspirations for Nilmar Junior. Awww, what is there not to like about Nilmar again?

NILMAR ON FUTBOLITAS

“It is great that there are Futbolitas who play football and support the game! This sport is very healthy and the women give much color to football. Of course, I am in support of this and seeing women playing futebol in the fields gives joy to all.”

NILMAR ON THE SELECAO

“It is a great joy to be called up because it is the dream of any player to play in a World Cup and more so with Brazil, the best selection of all time. In addition, it is more worthwhile to go as a striker, especially since the large number of attackers are Brazilian. It is a dream come true and I am very anxious to to play.”

“The the truth is that I feel enormous pride whenever I wear the Brazil shirt, and without a doubt the most special moment with the selection is now, during the World Cup.”

NILMAR ON HIS WIFE AND SON

“I wanted Laura (his wife) to accompany me to South Africa, although it will be difficult because of my unborn son. As for my son, the truth is that I would prefer if he likes football like me, but more importantly, he grows up to be what he want to be!”

NILMAR ON THE SELECAO’S FUN-LOVING NATURE

“I have a good relationship with most of the players on the selecao like Luis Fabiano, Kaka and Julio Cesar. I get along great with everyone and that is very important. A good relationship among the players will go a long way in our World Cup campaign.”

NILMAR ON BRAZIL BECOMING A GLOBAL POWER..

“We have the highest expectations of becoming a great global power. It is true that there are very good teams that play at a high level, such as Spain, Italy or Argentina. But Brazil is always a candidate in the world cup and there is no exception this year . We are confident that we will do well because we have a great squad.”

Enjoy Nilmar’s hat-trick against Chile in last year’s WCQ!

He is one of the seleção Brasileira’s most skillful strikers and is highly revered in the world of football. So of course, Futbolita had to speak to one of her heroes, O Fabuloso himself, before he left for South Africa. A really relaxed dude, O Fabuloso shared everything from his pride for Brazil to his family and naturally, his thoughts on women in football!

HE may be Brazil’s reigning no. 9 but Luis Fabiano – better known as ‘O Fabuloso’ – is coping perfectly well with the pressure.

As one of the world’s most sought-after strikers today, the laidback ‘mano’ is only focused on one thing: bringing home the World Cup for the Selecao. The Sevilla striker steps into the coveted No. 9 jersey made famous by ‘El Phenomenon’ Ronaldo who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup.

With Ronaldo and Romario (who wore No. 11 in 1994′s winning campaign) but distant memories, the South American nation’s hopes now rest firmly on Fabiano’s shoulders to fire them to a record sixth World Cup title. One would half expect the 29-year-old gunslinger to be feeling the heat but the 1.83m striker blessed with pace, a killer’s instinct and a deadly right foot, is anything but.

“I do not feel any pressure wearing the No. 9 shirt for Brazil,” he said.

“Yes, on one hand, I feel proud but on the other hand, I see it as a challenge to myself to live up to this important number,” said the hotshot, who’s fresh off a 21-goal season for Sevilla.

And like his fellow countrymen, last year’s Confederations Cup Golden Shoe winner can hardly wait to don the green and yellow of Brazil in South Africa.

“Representing the Brazilian people has always been the most important thing to me,” Fabiano said.

“What I like most about representing my country is to ‘feel the amarelhos’ (yellow in Portuguese) and green, which are always in my heart. It is an ‘orgulho’ (pride) for anyone to defend their country.”

With the World Cup in 2014 to be played on home soil in Rio de Janeiro, there is an added incentive to defend the title at home if they can win in South Africa.

“For sure, that is the goal, but it will be far from easy! We face competition from teams like Argentina and Spain but, for Brazil, it is always an obligation to try to win the World Cup. We are the country that has won the most number of titles,” Fabiano said.

He was also quick to defend Brazil coach Dunga, who’s been criticized by Brazilian media for dropping fan favourite Ronaldinho as well as Adriano (Flamengo) and Alexandre Pato (AC Milan) from his squad.

“Dunga is a very calm coach and he does not like controversy and bad behaviour. He always explains the reasons for his actions and, to me, he is very disciplined. He’s not too hard on us as people think,” he said.

“Brazil is already strong but Dunga always wants us to work together, and show this side of our character to keep winning more matches,” he added.

With Ronaldinho out of the picture and Kaka coming off a bad season with Real Madrid, Dunga may be set to unleash a new attacking force consisting of Nilmar (Villarreal), Robinho (Manchester City) and new addition, Grafite (Wolfsburg).

Fabiano said he is equally at ease with any strike partner.

“I always try to adapt to the other players, and I never choose who to play with. It will be better if my (attacking) partner has the same similar style. But for me, I can work with anyone whether (it’s) Nilmar, Kaka or Robinho because we have a common understanding. I also mix well with the rest of the team,” he said.

Behind every successful athlete lies a close-knit support group, and for the Sevilla marksman, it’s none other than his wife, Juliana Clemente and their two daughters.

“My family always follows me wherever I play. They are there in my country (hometown of Campinas) and they always follow the games on TV,” admitted Fabiano, who’s prone to the occasional hot-headed outburst.

“I try to stay at home and it’s hard for me to leave my family (to play away games) alone. My two daughters, Giovanna and Gabriela (2 and 5 years old) like to attend my games and sometimes, they come to the stadium to see me.”

Fabiano also touched on the growth of women’s football around the world.

“Football is universal, both in terms of countries and gender,” he said.

“It is important that we also grow this from the women’s side, in terms of professional players and the fans. In Spain, for example, there are more and more (female) football fans that I see every week.”

(Originally published in The Fever Pitch blog for Yahoo! SEA)
PHOTOS VIA : AP, Reuters, R.RIBEIRO

OK, Dani Alves has the case of The Morning Face which often occurs to the likes of his fellow countryman, Curly da Silva. When you have a BUS that looks like that, even you can’t wait to rub the sleep from your eyes! Forget about taking the popular “flag car” – the bus is the way to go in South Africa. That’s a bus we’d board in três segundo!

Caras are now in Tanzania to play a match against their national team tonight. Meu Deus, we have many friends in Tanzania and they have told us how the country is going berserk with the selecao’s arrival. They’re also bunking at the Hotel Mövenpik (no relation to the Swiss ice-cream, por favor) so if you happen to be there, please remember to bring a bag of flour for Elano!

via R.Ribeiro

Happy Friday! It’s only ONE WEEK to the biggest tournament on Earth and along with our Futbolita del Mundos, we couldn’t be more excited!

Pois não, there’s no better way to celebrate it than with our favorite roving louco CQC man, Felipe Andreoli, as he wreaks havoc in South Africa (although with Dopey at the helms, no one is allowed to mess with the manos on the pitch this time around) As always, enjoy!

As a bonus, we’ve also thrown in a few Selecao Bootcamp pictures for good measure!

Welcome to the start of Seleção Bootcamp South Africa… a Fútbolita tradition!

Trust us, the Brazilians love their shopping (especially electronics) so much so that they had to close a part of the Mandela mall in Jo’burg to accommodate them. After walking around, they sat to enjoy some ice-cream (which explains the photo above). Manos like Kaka already own all the electronics in the world, so along with the 2 “Julios” (Cesar and Baptista), he played golf at Randpark, a complex near to where the selecao reside.

On Thursday, Dopey apparently declared that the players will be allowed to indulge in “sex, ice-cream and wine” unlike the ban The Dona imposed on the Argentineans. Also, he added that “not everyone likes sex”. Meu deus, he can’t be referring to Robinho, The 40-Condom man!

Here are some training/recreation shots from the last few days where Felipe Melo looks like he’s about to break into fits of excitement from playing FIFA 10!

Fotos de R.Ribeiro, Globoesporte

Awww, what a great photo of Robinho being surrounded by children from the Tarumã Central School in Curitiba. These lindo children suffer from hearing loss and upon meeting their Brazilian idols, immediately embraced them and wouldn’t let go. Dopey was one of those who received the most affection. Como é doce, we say!

“It’s gratifying that we can bring joy to these children – it was a moment worth experiencing,” he said.

Anyway, speaking of Robinho, mano has been in the best of moods lately. “I’m not sad. I only feel a little down when I have a problem in the family or if I’m sleepy!” he said. And like Anderson (who is probably now barbecuing in Manchester), Robinho loves his MP3 player as well. “Here, I have samba, pagode, rap and hip-hop. It has everything you want to hear!”

Fans in Curitiba also had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of their heroes yesterday, who strolled out of the training facility to sign autographs! They all held up their hands in applause for the support from the 1,500 fans.

The selecao is expected to meet President Lula (yesssss!) on an ‘official visit’ later at 3pm later today before heading on a chartered flight to South Africa. Knowing Lula, he’d probably be waiting for them in his state office wearing a personalized jersey!

Photos for Futbolita via R.Ribeiro

The seleção have checked into their temporary boot camp in Curitiba (poooor fin!) and have taken their medical tests (courtesy of the Atlético Paranaense team!) Poor Nilmar seems afraid of needles while Fabuloso and Elano struggled to be brave men. They boys are also doing muscular exercises daily under the watchful eyes of Senhor Paulo Paixão and Fábio Mahseredjian. Oh Mio dios, those two instructors are not to be messed with.

Unfortunately, Kaka and Fabulouso sat out training but they’ll be back soon. Read more to see a MEGA GALLERY.. and yes, Luisao’s pained expression below wants you to go check it out!

Photos for Futbolita via R.Ribeiro
Read the rest of this entry »

Meet Raio Gomes, Brasil’s Official Fútbolita! The journalism student from Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, works at a news agency for children’s rights and supports Flamengo passionately. She also hopes to work as a professional journalist in the area of Sports and Culture one day. So let’s all say “BEM-VINDO, menina!” to Raio as she joins Fútbolita on our World Cup journey!

“Well, Brasilia is the political mainpoint of Brazil. It’s a very young city that reaches the 50TH anniversary in April 21st. We don’t have any beaches here, and we are not in the touristic mainstream. A very curious aspect of Brasilia is that it was “built”. I like it here very much. Lúcio was born and his family still lives here.”

On how she fell in love with football…

“Originally I fell in love with volleyball and I played it for one year. Then I stopped playing do keep going with my studies. The interest for football started in my home ’cause my father is completely crazy ’bout Flamengo, but I was never a very talented player. When I was around 14 all most of my friends were boys, and it influenced me a lot in understanding and talking about it.”

On her favourite Brasileirao team…

“Flamengooooooo!!! Por que é o maioooor! The greatest!!! The team of Garrincha, and now, Adriano!”

On Brazil’s chances at this year’s World Cup

Now is the time for our sixth championship!!! I hope Dunga can work better than he shown so far. But I really trust our players, and I hope Dunga to put Ronaldinho in the team, cause he knows what to do when it comes to World Cup (note : sadly, he’s only a reserve)

On the passion of the Brazilians…

“Here in Brazil, the World Cup changes everything. Football is a very important part of the Brazilian people lives. When Brazil squad plays, student are allowed to stay home to watch the match, people leave their jobs, and things like that!”

On her favourite players from past and present…

“Luis Fabiano, Adriano, Garrincha and of course, Pelé. It sounds a little obvious to choose those guys, but I really like them. Luis Fabiano has improved his playing style a lot. But he is, like others, the face of Brazilian’s football failure, because all those excellent players do not remain here in most of cases.  Which is one of the reasons I admire Garrincha so much. Despite of nowadays, players used to love their teams as well.”

On representing Brazil as the official Futbolita…

“I’m very excited and happy for that. To me it’s a great honor and responsibility to do so, especially in a country where people breathe football. I hope to represent my country very well in this journey. I am a Futbolita because as much as my compatriots, I LIVE FOOTBALL”

Photos by Gustavo Aguiar © for Fútbolita.
Raio is wearing the Cultzeros Luis Fabiano Futbolita Tee
(COMING SOON : Read more interviews & features with and by the chicas & chicos who’ll be celebrating the Fútbolita World Cup with you!)

Finally, the moment has arrived and selecao bootcamp has been finalized for the World Cup! Of course, what’s a call-up to the selecao if it doesn’t involve loads of controversy, overexcited journalists and annoyed Brazilians in general? Joked our Brazilian futbolita, Raio, “People want to kill Dunga now!” presumably for his questionable choices of Felipe Melo and Ramires.

As for the Adriano romanticists, Wolfsburg’s Grafite is definitely a name that shocked them. The Dinho, Pato and Neymar were among the other names that were not called up, although Dinho is still in the ‘reserve squad’

“There is no doubt about Ronaldinho’s ability, but I have to make decisions based on what has happened on the pitch,” he said.

Goalkeeper : Júlio César (Inter de Milão-ITA) / Gomes (Tottenham-ING) /Doni (Roma-ITA)

Defenders : Maicon (Inter de Milão-ITA) / Daniel Alves (Barcelona-ESP) /Gilberto (Cruzeiro) /Michel Bastos (Lyon-FRA) / Juan (Roma-ITA) / Lúcio (Inter de Milão-ITA) / Luisão (Benfica-POR) /Thiago Silva (Milan-ITA)

Midfielders (Defensive & Attacking) : Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos-GRE)  / Felipe Melo (Juventus-ITA) / Josué (Wolfsburg-ALE)  / Kleberson (Flamengo) Elano (Galatasaray-TUR) / Ramires (Benfica-POR) / Kaká (Real Madrid-ESP) /Júlio Baptista (Roma-ITA)

Attackers : Luís Fabiano (Sevilla-ESP) / Nilmar (Villarreal-ESP) /Robinho (Santos)  / Grafite (Wolfsburg-ALE)

For the full list, READ MORE!

Read the rest of this entry »

This is the bus that will be taking the selecao’s manos around South Africa. And yes, it looks really cool. Everyone at Villarreal is now teasing Nilmar about the fact that he’ll be able to make coffee, watch a film and enjoy a foot massage all within the bus. Nao, we’re just kidding but seriously, it looks like the Spice World Bus!

This is the limited edition ‘wine’ of the Brazilian team by Guarana, which you can also enjoy with The Dinho if he gets called up. No one’s supposed to drink unless it’s a player’s birthday, so good luck trying to hide it, Luisão!

Well, the title speaks for itself! Here’s Neymar, Robinho and Ganso (aka the Santos trio) doing it Beyonce style for Seara, a Brazilian company who are also the official meat suppliers for the selecao. They could have worked more on the choreography.. but at least Neymar looks like he’s having loads of fun!

(muito obrigada Raio Gomes!)

Bom dia gente… and Happy Friday! Nilmaaaar, você olha fofo hoje (you are looking cute today). Anyway, this is a new series of ads by Nike conceptualized to help you ease into the World Cup mood. It’s called the “Pelada“, which is the journey of the selecao caras as they experience the ‘maximum velocity’ training program. Greaseano did the same thing too, which you can watch here (ever so dramatic!)… but in the meantime, Robinho, Fabulouso & fofo Nilmar would like you to listen to them below, por favor!

So Arsenal will be playing Hulkalicious Porto tonight and while Denilson will finally shed his Carnaval outfit for boots, Porto do not wished to be undermined! Benfica are not sending owls to the Emirates stadium either but who needs them right? Bruno Alves’s hair alone will be in charge of scoring hat-tricks on behalf of Carlos Queiroz. So prepare yourselves, futbolitas!

Said their treinador Jesualdo Ferreira : “I want to put right the fact that Porto have not won in England before – there’s always a first time for everything.”

So basically, Zagallo aka the Man of my amiga’s dreams (seen here with Edmilson) has spoken up about the evergreen issue of The Dinho playing for Brazil. You could honestly walk into the Copacabana beach these days and start yelling Ron’s name at the Caiprinha stand itself.

Anyway, Zagallo thinks The Dinho doesn’t deserve a place in Dopey’s squad. To be honest, homie needs to do his homework because his quotes do not make sense! “He has an excellent technique and his skills also won (him) the Golden Ball but when he played for the selecao, he only played a good game against England (World Cup 2002), including a goal scored by accident.” VOCÊ É GRAVE, Zagallo?!!

Yesssss, friends! We are excited to announce that the Futbolita World Cup will be launched later this week and that we are looking for futbolitas like YOU to come on board. ¿Estás listo? Por supuesto! We’ve got passionate meninas on board (and are looking for more!) so wherever you are – watch this space, grab your flags, footballs, samba floats and get ready to join us!!

via Reuters & Harng